our, that's tonight's last word. tomorrow morning on velshi, a new addition of velshi banned book club, featuring my conversation with jonathan ellison, the award-winning story lawn boy. when the most banned books today. that tomorrow on velshi. the rise of wagner starts right now. now. russia may look like a state, but those who know it well say that, under president vladimir putin, it has become a mafia armed with nuclear weapons. >> he is a dictator, but more likely -- >> and on june 24th, putin faced the biggest challenge to his authority in his more than two decades in power.

a member of his trusted inner circle dared to revolt and marched his army of mercenaries into russia. [speaking non-english] yevgeny prigozhin had reason to be angry. he had raised a private army called the wagner group and sent them to fight putin's war in ukraine. his men were being slaughtered and prigozhin blamed russians armchair generals running the war of sabotage. [speaking non-english] >> there was a mutiny against vladimir putin's armed forces. >> it is more like a fight between gangs, which is like a

mafia state. >> vladimir putin was rattled and seemed to be caught off guard. he had raised prigozhin and empowered him. >> prigozhin is entirely a creature of vladimir putin. he does not exist without putin. this is a frankenstein-like scenario. >> i've been following prigozhin's extraordinary rise for years and seen firsthand how the one-time, petty thief built a criminal empire in syria, africa, russia, and ukraine. making him powerful enough to challenge the boss. >> it is like, we know there is more to come. it is to be continued. ♪ ♪ ♪

they told the story of yevgeny prigozhin, we have to go back to the beginning. in the 19 80s, st. petersburg was known as leningrad and the soviet union was already in decline. the communist party's promise of building a workers paradise had proving to be a lie. the criminal underworld ruled the streets and st. petersburg was russia's version of chicago in the 1920s. >> st. petersburg was called the -- capital of russia. >> it was here where the young prigozhin made his start as a thief. >> it was at that time that prigozhin became more and more entrenched in the mafia culture of the city. >> it was jailed in 1981 for assaulting a woman on the

street. >> he and two other friends followed this young woman home, stripped her of her boots, nearly strangled her to death, and took her belongings. he was sent off into a penal colony, which is a siberian part of russia, very forested, extreme weather conditions and also extreme hard labor. and at that time he really actually embraced that hard labor. he wanted to better himself and, during that process, he became well read. >> after nearly a decade behind bars, prigozhin was released just as the soviet union was collapsing. >> president gorbachev accepted the inevitability and then signed the death certificate of the soviet empire. >> the state had imploded and the mafia already strong was

that now everywhere and into everything. for those shrewd and violent enough, it was a time for great opportunity. prigozhin fit right in. he crew a single hotdog stand into a chain of restaurants. >> we can only guess outcome prigozhin so quickly opened top restaurants, and gained more and more power and business opportunities while putin was rising to the top. >> volodymyr putin was a mid level kgb agent who had just become adviser to the mayor of st. petersburg. and he had a sinister amberley implant rebuild the state after it collapsed by getting the intelligence services and the mob to work together. >> that has a long history that dates all the way back to the soviet union. that's how i got to know vladimir putin. >> prigozhin's fanciest restaurant, new island, became

a hangout for putin's inner circle. soon, putin would make prigozhin his personal caterer, earning him the nickname putin's chef. >> the best indicator that putin trusted prigozhin is that prigozhin served food for him. knowing putin's paranoia, he could not have had anybody in charge of his diet. >> i think what prigozhin achieved in all of those years, that is greatly undercounted or not really understood very well is that he was always discreet. it was a very trusted agent, somebody who could be relied upon to do well, to deliver, be discreet. >> putin quickly climbed through the ranks until he became president of russia. prigozhin was now an insider, trusted by putin, but he wanted his own seat at the table. so putin gave prigozhin a

contract. it was an opportunity to help the boss and make money for himself. it was in the most unlikely place. war torn syria. than detergent alone. if you want laundry to smell fresh for weeks, make sure you have downy unstopables in-wash scent boosters. your brain is an amazing thing. but as you get older, it naturally begins to change,

causing a lack of sharpness, or even trouble with recall. thankfully, the breakthrough in prevagen helps your brain and actually improves memory. the secret is an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. choosing a treatment for your chronic migraine - 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more - can be overwhelming. so, ask your doctor about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start. it's the #1 prescribed branded chronic migraine treatment. so far, more than 5 million botox® treatments have been given to over eight hundred and fifty thousand

chronic migraine patients. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. in a survey, 92% of current users said they wish they'd talked to their doctor and started botox® sooner. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you. learn how abbvie could help you save on botox®. in 2015, syria was in the midst

of one of the bloodiest civil wars in modern history. american-backed rebels controlled large parts of the country, islamic extremists from ices dominated the rest. and the dictator, al-assad, was barely clinging to power. president assad begged his old ally putin for help. the russian president was happy dissent warplanes to bomb assad's enemies. but he did not want to commit

ground troops, having watched the united states get bogged down in iraq. prigozhin offered a solution. he had already formed a small private security company called the wagner group. it had been used to conduct covert military operations along russian borders. putin was now asking prigozhin to use the wagner group to prop up the syrian regime. >> it was really syria that cemented prigozhin's rise, in many levels. that was probably the most difficult assignment. >> it was the perfect arrangement for putin, the mercenaries provided a layer of cover and deniability. for prigozhin, it was a chance to expand wagner's footprint. >> putin and the people around him created wagner with prigozhin as a way to have some distance between some military operations they wanted to abroad, that did not want to be known as the russian state.

>> it's a paramilitary cartel that is run with the assistance, the direct assistance of the ministry of defense from day one. >> wagner fought alongside us odds murderous forces, and they carried out atrocities. assad's troops massacred thousands of women and children, many with chemical weapons. all to break the peoples will to resist, for that the dictator could stay in power. prigozhin's mercenaries proved to be every bit as brutal. -- was that syrian soldier who tried to escape. wagner decided to make an example of it and filled the execution. he was beaten with a sledgehammer. >> it was a horrifying scene that, if anybody has ever watched it, it will never leave you. and i'm sure that for his family, it is a terrifying,

terrifying legacy to know that that is how he left the world. after that, the sledgehammer became a symbol of the wagner group's power, the viciousness and brutality everything is to go to any lengths to achieve their mission. >> prigozhin was getting his first taste of real power and he liked it. syria was proven to be very profitable, for prigozhin and his boss in the kremlin. wagner has promised a 25% cut of every oil and gas field it managed to take over. the sprawling, quantico gas facility seemed ripe for the taking. except there was one obstacle. a small number of elite american soldiers were based at the plant, on a counter ices mission and they were heavily armed. >> the clash between the wagner group and u.s. special forces is almost legendary. it was the first time that russian and american forces had clashed since a vietnam, an

incredible moment in history if you think about it. >> general jonathan -- a veteran special ops commander was in charge of the american base in eastern syria. i was the first reporter to gain access here. >> we saw vehicle movements, rehearsals, and the like. something we had not seen before. >> what did you do when you saw this force gathering? >> i called my contact,? >> we deconflict with russians, to make sure that there is no miscalculations and de-escalate anything that might be happening. >> what response did you get? >> those are not our forces. about two hours later we started receiving artillery rounds, followed by tanks, and eventually small -- upwards of several hundred forces. >> they were being deliberately targeted and they were moving artillery in closer and closer? >> absolutely, that led to

immediate phone conversation with russia. >> so you called to stop this? >> yes we did. >> >> but as fire kept coming in, general broad ahead enough. >> we felt threatened, we have certain measures that we take to escalate. >> within minutes american airstrikes began pummeling wagner and the syrians fighting with them. it went on for three devastating hours. these recordings authenticated by senior u.s. military officials are of the mercenaries. [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] >> 2 to 300 of the russian force was killed. is that accurate? >> that is close to our estimates as well. >> he was an early recruit, and

commanded troops during the assault on -- [speaking non-english] >> he was entered in the battle, and left wagner. but he still has some respect for prigozhin. [speaking non-english] [speaking non-english] >> prigozhin over estimated his power at the plant. but wagner's operations in syria overall where a success. >> a half of million people dead during the civil war but

bsharah remained in power. and both putin and prigozhin benefited. prigozhin land valuable military lessons. putin kept his promise. without committing conventional ground forces. the wagner model was set. prop up dictators, and make millions exploiting national resources in the process. >> and they are men that are not encumbered by requirements to adhere to international law, or accountability to their own governments. if they were able to gain control of almost endless funding stream, that's a bad combination. >> prigozhin became the boxes mrs. fuss hit. someone who could handle sensitive missions, and prigozhin woodstone turned his sights on the united states. it is no secret that president putin likes donald trump. the two men seem to understand

each other and speak the same language. >> they want me to disavow putin. putin of russia, he said that trump is a genius, he will be the next leader. [speaking non-english] >> multiple u.s. intelligence agencies have said that putin wanted trump to win the next election. but intervening directly was a risky proposition, even for the kremlin. so prigozhin hinder to the boss. prigozhin did not just have the wagner group, the private contractors fighting in syria. he also had another side business. it was a troll farm that pumped out online disinformation, mostly against russian dissidents. he now turned to the keyboard warriors, against the united states. >> in some ways they contributed to the narrative that grew up around putin and

donald trump. >> using other kinds of ways to try to manipulate information inside of the united states to try to help mr. trump when the election. >> at the time, this was all new. russian trolls using the internet in english to sway american elections. it seemed impossible. that's the russians seem to know which buttons to punch. stoking laton racial tensions, disparaging hillary clinton, and making trump look like a champion. [crowd chanting] >> these cyberattacks come from the highest levels of the kremlin, and they are designed to influence our elections. he would rather have a puppet as president of the united states. and it's pretty clear, it's pretty clear that you will not admit that the russians have engaged in cyberattacks against the united states of america. >> the stunning upset as donald

trump is over hillary clinton. >> the president of the united states, donald trump. >> it's unclear whether prigozhin's united states campaign directly contributed to trump's victory. but in moscow, the champagne was flowing. ♪ ♪ ♪ [speaking non-english] >> i, donald john trump, do solemnly swear. that i will faithfully execute. >> that i will faithfully execute. >> the honors of president of the united states. >> the office of the president of the united states. [applause] >> the united states of america 's your country. >> prigozhin was now the apple

of putin's eye, and the made man. >> this was seen as a brilliant no influence for russia. and he was celebrated for having achieved these kinds of outcomes. >> the russians employ thousands of paid internet trolls. to push out this information, and fake nose, and at a high volume. >> the u.s. indicted prigozhin for election interference. the trump administration later drop the case. it meant little to prigozhin who was safe and russia. and apparently, rewarded lavishly. an opposition activist flew a drone over what she claimed was his compound. the man who once stole the woman's boots now had a sprawling estate with a helipad. and the contracts kept rolling in. his next mission would take him to africa, to try to take over a country. ♪ ♪ ♪ undetectable

with fewer medicines. that's why i switched to dovato. dovato is a complete hiv treatment for some adults. no other complete hiv pill uses fewer medicines to help keep you undetectable than dovato. detect this: most hiv pills contain 3 or 4 medicines. dovato is as effective with just 2. if you have hepatitis b, don't stop dovato without talking to your doctor. don't take dovato if you're allergic to its ingredients or taking dofetilide. this can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. if you have a rash or allergic reaction symptoms, stop dovato and get medical help right away. serious or life-threatening lactic acid buildup and liver problems can occur. tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver problems, or if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or considering pregnancy. dovato may harm an unborn baby. most common side effects are headache, nausea, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, tiredness, and anxiety. detect this: i stay undetectable with fewer medicines. ask your doctor about switching to dovato. generalized myasthenia gravis made my life a lot harder.

but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive. in a clinical trial, vyvgart significantly improved most participants' ability to do daily activities when added to their current gmg treatment. most participants taking vyvgart also had less muscle weakness. and your vyvgart treatment schedule is designed just for you. in a clinical study, the most common side effects included urinary and respiratory tract infections, and headache. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. vyvgart can cause allergic reactions. i have gmg and this is how vyvgart works for me. [camera shutter] picture your life in motion. talk to your neurologist about vyvgart.

one prilosec otc each morning blocks heartburn all day and all night. prilosec otc reduces excess acid for 24 hours, blocking heartburn before it starts. one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. i have active psoriatic arthritis. but with skyrizi to treat my skin and joints, before it starts. i'm feeling this moment. along with clearer skin skyrizi helps me move with less joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and fatigue. and is just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. there's nothing like clearer skin and better movement-and that means everything! ask your doctor about skyrizi today. learn how abbvie could help you save. for copd, ask your doctor about breztri.

breztri gives you better breathing, symptom improvement, and helps prevent flare-ups. breztri won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. it is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vison changes, or eye pain occur. if you have copd ask your doctor about breztri. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> this is the capital of the central african republic. [speaking non-english]

since gaining independence from france, civil wars have left the government week, and the population vulnerable. most people live below the popular line. making less than $2 a day. it has one of the worst infant mortality rates in the world. in the capitals only children's hospital. wars are filled with babies, starting to death. but this impoverished nation is rich with timber, diamonds, and gold. and prigozhin was given an opportunity to take it. >> gold has been a pretty important part of the picture, in terms of how the wagner group pays for itself. but also how it offers value to russians regime, to the kremlin regime. >> the government was facing a threat from an armed rebellion.

and just like the president had done, the president of the central african republic asked for putin's help. and once again, putin did not send officials russian troops. he sent prigozhin and wagner. prigozhin's mercenaries arrived, described as instructors to help the army fight off the rebels who were threatening the capitol. >> the wagner group is a transnational criminal organization. and being instructed, or trained, by a transnational criminal organization is not the recipe for success. >> it was syria all over again, but this time there were no american troops standing in the way. prigozhin gant full control. with wagner forces patrolling openly in the streets. even serving as the personal bodyguards for the president.

one of my first stops was to meet fidel, a close adviser to the president. >> hello. >> i am -- how are you? >> very well. richard. >> welcome to central africa. >> so this palace, this is your palace? >> yes my palace. >> can you show us around a little bit? >> let's go downtown to show you my village here. >> i would love that. how many bedrooms in the palace? >> too many. too many. about 80. >> 80? >> 80. yes. this is america car, let's go in this japanese car. >> fair enough. >> he wanted to show me why wagner is misunderstood, how they have brought peace to a country as they know more.

he ran for president here in 2015, and became a local celebrity, he likes things wagner, and all things russia. wagner is surprisingly popular here. it's security contractor seen as heroes to help defend the rebels. there is even a life size capital honoring wagner. >> if he knows that you are knowing that you are in the area. they >> wouldn't like it? >> no. because he will be killed. it's fake news. >> you lead the way? show us where to go? [inaudible] ♪ ♪ ♪ [speaking non-english] >> this is the central market,

the same name. ♪ ♪ ♪ [inaudible] >> do you like the presence here of the russians? >> every people in central africa, loves russian people. too much. >> what about all the resources that they take? they take food, they take minerals, they take timber? >> fake news from western opinion. maybe wagner is that in the other country, but in our country, they kill rebels, they bring to us the -- we never hear that russian soldier tell people. >> he says that wagner isn't in the country for the golden -- but we looked into it. working with a research group,

the century, we witness the takeover of the gold mine in the central country. before wagner showed up, locals worked in live at the site. manning gold by hand. this woman, whose identity we have concealed for her identity, left near the man. [speaking non-english] >> what happened on the day when the wagner trips, the wagner mercenaries arrived? >> they came in a pick up truck with heavy weapons. they were armed, white men in khaki and forms. when the people refuse to leave the area around the gold mine, the soldiers beat them. and started whipping and torturing them. it was three days later that they killed my husband. i saw my husband's body, and his colleagues.

they were buried in the same hole. they were eight of them. they had their work clothes on, and they told russian to take a soldier and bury them, i was under a tree, watching. >> who runs this country? the russians, or the government? [speaking non-english] [crying] >> diplomats tell us that wagner extracts up to $500

million a year from this country in gold, blood diamonds, and timber. after wagner's takeover, it became the most developed mine in the country. our investigation reveals the amount of gold at the site could be worth up to three billion dollars. after our anishinaabe reporting, the united states put sanctions on the main. called midas resources. the treasury department said that midas was connected to prigozhin. and helped to finance wagner operations. but gold is almost impossible to trace. and prigozhin is good at evading sanctions. >> you can turn these types of minerals, precious metals, and gems into cash. pretty quickly. if you know how to do it. if you have a good hustle. and prigozhin has always had a good hustle. >> i wanted to go back to law gojandika to see if i could pan am down at what is happening at the minds. >> let me ask you some serious,

questions hard questions. what about this mine? the -- mine? there are so many reports that wagner troops came in and brutalized the people to get them to leave. >> no, the people with our army is secure. the area of the main, they don't steal, they don't kill people, they keep quiet in this area. >> so who's taking at? >> nobody. >> they're saying there's no activity going on? >> it is a lie. it is taking us. it is fake news. >> it seems that gojandika wouldn't say anything to upset -- i wanted to know if he made that deal with the devil.

i understand why you reached out, you accepted russian help. are you happy with it? [speaking non-english] >> what do you say about reports that allege the russian forces, who you brought in to help secure this country, have committed abuses? [speaking non-english] >> we have talked about russia, but the word wagner hasn't come out of your word or your mouth yet. what is this group? what do you think of wagner?

[speaking non-english] >> it appeared that the president wouldn't risk upsetting wagner either. prigozhin run this country. and it's a model that he is looking to expand to several other countries in africa. offering security services to places that have two things and common. wars, and natural resources. >> central african republic is basically this advertisement for her wagner to do business and other african countries. >> i reached out to prigozhin directly, to ask about his activities in the central african republic, and approval brett tragedies committed by wagner. he responded with a voice note. [speaking non-english]

>> there is just no way to describe the relationship with the probing media, particularly in the west. it's just completely off the trade. >> three journalists were murdered in the central african republic, in 2018. they were investigating wagner activities in the country prigozhin denied involvement. the killings remain unsolved. prigozhin was near the peak of his power. he had a country under his effective control and. experience private army, and a steady flow of gold and diamonds to pay for it all. soon president putin would come calling again.

♪ but i manage it well. ♪ ♪ it's a little pill with a big story to tell. ♪ ♪ i take once-daily jardiance, ♪ ♪ at each day's staaart. ♪ ♪ as time went on it was easy to seee ♪ ♪ i'm lowering my a1c. ♪ jardiance works 24/7 in your body to flush out some sugar! and for adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. jardiance may cause serious side effects including ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration, that can lead to sudden worsening of kidney function, and genital yeast or urinary tract infections. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction, and don't take it if you're on dialysis. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. ♪ jardiance is really swell, ♪ ♪ the little pill with a big story to tell. ♪

looking for a smarter way to mop? introducing the new swiffer powermop. an all-in-one cleaning tool that gives you a mop and bucket clean in half the time. our new cleaning pad has hundreds of scrubbing strips- that absorb and lock dirt away, ( ♪♪ ) and it has a 360-degree swivel head- that goes places a regular mop just can't. so, you can clean your home faster than ever. don't mop harder, mop smarter, with the new swiffer powermop. (fisher investments) it's easy to think that all money managers are pretty much the same, don't mop harder, mop smarter, but at fisher investments we're clearly different. (other money manager) different how? you sell high commission investment products, right? (fisher investments) nope. fisher avoids them. (other money manager) well, you must earn commissions on trades. (fisher investments) never at fisher investments. (other money manager) ok, then you probably sneak in some hidden and layered fees. (fisher investments) no. we structure our fees so we do better when clients do better. that might be why most of our clients come from other money managers. at fisher investments, we're clearly different.

♪ i wanna hold you forever ♪ hey little bear bear. ♪ ♪ ♪ i'm gonna love you forever ♪ to have and to hold from this day forward. ♪ you don't... ♪ c'mon, bear. ♪ you don't have to worry... ♪ ♪ be by your side.. ♪ ♪ i'll be there.. ♪

♪ with my arms wrapped around... ♪ sales tax. gas tax. californians pay some of the highest taxes in the nation. but now lawmakers are proposing a so-called “link tax” that would charge websites every time they link to a news article online. experts warn it could undermine the open internet, punish local newspapers, while subsidizing hedge funds and big media corporations. >> ukraine has always been so tell lawmakers: oppose ab886, because another new tax is the last thing we need. paid for by ccia.

putin's obsession. and in 2022, he invaded. he expected to take over the country in a matter of days. but the war did not go as planned. the invasion was a disaster. armored vehicles broke down, and ran out of gas. the russian groups did not even have enough food. and the ukrainians fought back ferociously. [sound of artillery] >> the russian army, the pride of the nation. was getting crushed. >> this was a russian camp, you can see that they had all of

their weapons here, dug out positions, and they were bombed. there is still some bodies in this area. and they left a lot of their equipment behind. after what appears to have been a devastating attack on their position. >> low on troops, and losing the war. putin turned to his trusted fixer. he tasked prigozhin with taking the wagner group and turning the mercenaries into a front line fighting force. to do it, prigozhin needed more man. lots of them. the ex con knew exactly where to find them. putin authorized prigozhin to empty the prisons. [speaking non-english] he offered the convicts a deal, if they survived on the front lines for six months. they would be free.

[speaking non-english] >> tens of thousands of convicts took the deal, and after little training, they were shipped off to the battlefield in ukraine. putin definitely made it a victory. he set his sights on the small, ukrainian city of bakhmut. and sent in his fixer. prigozhin made a public promise to putin, and the, world that he would capture bakhmut for the kremlin. it was an absolute insult to russia's top generals. army chief, gerasimov, and defense minister sergei shoigu. they were outraged, and humiliated that president putin

had interested the mission to prigozhin over them. prigozhin sent his convicts into battle like cannon falls are. and anyone who tried to retreat was shot. >> in a war of attrition, it is all about who can outlast the other in terms of capabilities. and so the russians were willing to feed people like that into this meat grinder. >> prigozhin use the prisoners that he conducted, to have human waves pushed into bakhmut, and they were slaughtered by the thousands. >> but the savage strategy was working. wagner was making advances in bakhmut. [speaking non-english] and leveling the city in the process.

i went into bakhmut, as russian artillery was raining down every minute. the city had become an unlivable wasteland. there is an odd thing about the fight here, russia does not gain much by taking this city, bakhmut isn't particularly strategic. it does not dominate any key roads or terrain. instead, all of this destruction is to a large degree, an advertisement for the russian mercenary group leading this fight. the wagner group is getting famous from all of this, so, the biggest, bloodiest battle in this entire war is a marketing campaign for russian mercenaries. [sound of artillery] >> for wagner, every shell that was dropped here, every person who has driven into shelters, every lies that was last. was an advertisement that

prigozhin was more talented, and more capable then his rivals. the generals sergei shoigu and gerasimov. and the generals retaliated. they moved to cut prigozhin off at the knees. denying wagner ammunition while they were still fighting in bakhmut. [speaking non-english] >> prigozhin may have been willing to rush convicts to their deaths. but he could not accept his man being stabbed in the back. [speaking non-english]

>> he is a businessman, he is a showman, but in a crude sort of way. he seems to actually, generally care about his troops. to some extent. not that he is not willing to have a bunch of them killed. >> he speaks and crude languages to appeal to people. and his main message is that the elites are corrupt. and they are taking advantage of us. [speaking non-english] >> despite the army betrayal, wagner captured bakhmut, by brute force. prigozhin claimed the victory for himself. [speaking non-english] >> it took about ten months, nine months, to capture bakhmut. at an enormous cost of lives. i don't know if i would call it a special or elite force, but they are absolutely willing to

do whatever it takes. >> russian media called the battle of bakhmut a historic victory. [speaking non-english] but the generals gerasimov and sergei shoigu never celebrated. and now that bakhmut was one, they ordered wagner to disband. and for the man to come under the command of the ministry of defense. when prigozhin refused to give up his private army, he says the generals attacked his camp. killing dozens of his men. prigozhin snapped and pushed all out of his chips to the center of the table. it was now, all or nothing. [speaking non-english] unresolved depression symptoms were in my way. i needed more from my antidepressant. vraylar helped give it a lift.

adding vraylar to an antidepressant... ...is clinically proven to help relieve overall depression symptoms... ...better than an antidepressant alone. and in vraylar clinical studies, most saw no substantial impact on weight. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, as these may be life-threatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements, which may be permanent. high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, weight gain, and high cholesterol may occur. movement dysfunction and restlessness are common side effects. stomach and sleep issues, dizziness, increased appetite, and fatigue are also common. side effects may not appear for several weeks. i didn't have to change my treatment. i just gave it a lift. ask about vraylar and learn how abbvie could help you save. i've never been healthier. ask about vraylar and learn how abbvie shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. proven over 90% effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone

and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. (vo) it's time to switch to verizon. sadie did. and now she has myplan. the first unlimited plan that lets her choose exactly what goes in it. now she gets to pick only the perks she wants and saves on every one. and with an incredible new iphone on us, no wonder sadie is celebrating. introducing myplan. get exactly what you want. only pay for what you need. act now and get iphone 14 pro on us when you switch. it's your verizon.

so, you've got the power of xfinity at home. now take it outside with xfinity mobile. like speed? it's the fastest mobile service around. with the best price for two lines of unlimited. only 30 bucks a line per month. that's hundreds in savings a year when you wave bye to the other guys. no wonder xfinity mobile is one of the fastest growing mobile services. you really shouldn't walk out the front door without it.

switch today at xfinitymobile.com. >> before dawn, on june 24th, wagner forces cross the ukrainian border, and advanced into russia. [speaking non-english] putin's once loyal servant goes on the attack.

♪ ♪ ♪ he wants the generals that he says are betraying his men in ukraine, removed from power. prigozhin's mercenary army quickly captures the town of rostov-on-don. and at seven a.m. they take control of the headquarters running the war in ukraine. they need to. no resistance. >> you have this attack dog, you think you have it on a leash. but it comes back at some point and bites you. >> putin created this monster, he shot himself in the foot by giving the spent so much power. >> prigozhin lecture is the deputy defense minister, and the general from russian intelligence. [speaking non-english] >> after 12 hours, putin breaks his silence. and sides with the generals. [speaking non-english]

>> he never mentions prigozhin by name. prigozhin seems undeterred. his forces keep driving north to moscow. blowing up an oil terminal. the russian military retaliates. [speaking non-english] [sound of gunfire] >> wagner forces shot down several aircraft. president putin finally scrambles the national guard to protect the capital. >> he does not look like he is in charge, he doesn't look like he is such a strong man. you don't have mayonnaise against wrong leaders. >> he's on a raft. prigozhin almost ignited, it almost ignited it. >> and then, everything stops, mysteriously. prigozhin accepts a vague deal

to go into exile in neighboring belarus. by putin's closest ally. [speaking non-english] [sound of artillery] >> he announces that he is turning around, saying that he could've run the war in ukraine better, but decided to withdraw because the message had been delivered. the mutiny appear to be over. but what prigozhin did and said had already left a mark. he stood off to the kremlin, to say that the war was being run badly because of incompetence, and corruption. he was cheered as he left rostov. >> that explains why people in rostov were so warm when they saw prigozhin. because it was about restoration of justice. he went after these fat cats. those who benefited from the war. >> he is one of the world's

greatest chess players. in 1996, to see if his strategic mind could defeat a machine. he played a supercomputer at the start of a i. he is now one of putin's fiercest critics. >> putin does not play chess. dictators do not play chess. chest is a game played by the rules. putin always played other games. it's always about bluff. and his bluff was called. >> and now, putin is moving to purge his ranks of potential coconspirators. and dismantle wagner. video and photographs released by a pro putin newspaper, appeared to show russian authorities reading prigozhin's home. aunts seizing a sledgehammer inscribed with for use an important negotiations. gold, and disguises. prigozhin's whereabouts remain unclear. while putin is trying to show the russian people, and the

world, that he is firmly in charge. during covid, the russian president stayed as far away from people as he could. just four days after the mutiny, he behaves like a changed man. putin had not done anything like this in years. >> wagner's coup was a demonstration that putin's days are numbered. >> a godfather only has power if it is unquestioned. >> there are very powerful forces within putin states that are now desperately looking for other arrangements. putin was no longer the boss of bosses. >> it is unclear how far prigozhin intended to go, or what will have into wagner's operations in canada, or the middle east. what impact it will be on the war in ukraine. >> -- if that's what putin is trying to do, it's a good news for ukraine. >> and what will happen to prigozhin himself and the comics he recruited?

what is undeniable, is that prigozhin broke the air of invincibility. and exposed cracks in what some call the mafia state that he has run in the last two decades. all because of a fight within the family. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> this january six rioter, the one in the queue shirt at the front of the pack here, his name is douglas, austin, jensen, he is now famous for having chase capitol police officer eugene goodman up the stairs in the capital. he actually did not even know what building he was invading on january 6th. >> this is may touching the white house. >> storm the white house! that's what we do! >> touching the white house, very close, but still a few blocks down pennsylvania avenue, mr. johnson. anyway, despite not knowing where he was, johnson didn't know why he was there, wherever